Improvement in machines for marking plug-tobacco



- S. W. VENABLE. Machine for Marking Plug-Tobacco.

No. 209,526. Patented-Oct. 29.1s7's..

UNITED STATE S PATENT: Current SAMUEL \V. VENABLE, OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA.

.IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR MARKING PLUG-TOBACCO.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 209,526, dated October 29, 1878 application filed June 12, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL W. VENABLE, of Petersburg, in the county 'of Dinwiddie and State of Virginia, have invented a certain new and Improved Machine for Marking Plug-Tobacco; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention; Fig. 2, a cross-sectional View; Fig. 3, a top view of the platen.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures denote the same parts.

My invention has for its object to provide a machine for marking plu -tobacco with the name or trade-mark of the manufacturer, or other distinguishing impression, after the process of manufacture and before it is put up for the trade; and it consists in a certain novel structure, which I will now proceed to describe in detail.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a frame, having uprights B B for the journals of a cylinder, 0, and provided with ways or guides D D for supporting and guiding a platen, E.

The cylinder C is provided at either end with gear-wheels G C, which mesh into racks E E on the sides of the platen, so that when the cylinder is rotated the platen will be reciprocated back and forth beneath it.

For greater rapidity and convenience of operation, the uprights B and cylinder (1 are arranged midway between the ends of the track D, so that the platen can be operated in either direction-that is to say, can be charged on either side of the cylinder and discharged on the other side-it only being necessary to pass it under the cylinder once to accomplish the purpose of the machine.

The platen is provided at its ends with projecting flanges e and at its sides with similar flanges e, which together form a rectangular recess or bed, F. Types or dies 9 are formed in or project from the bed of the platen or from the surface of the cylinder, as shown. The height of the flanges is somewhat less than the thickness of a tobacco-plug, so that the upper surface of the plug will come above the flanges and be pressed upon with considerable force by the cylinder.

The object of the flanges is not to'hold a form of types in place; but the types, when applied in the bed, are cut in its bottom surface or fixed by sockets or other fastenings, so as to hold securely in place without assistance from the flanges, and the face of the types, when applied in the bed, does not extend up to a line with the upper edge of the flanges, but only projects very slightly from the bottom of the bed.

When applied to the cylinder the types project but slightly, leaving a space wide enough for the plug to pass (under the proper degree of compression) between the type-surface of the cylinder and the bottom of the bed. Theletters and figures may be out in the bed or cylinder instead of projecting therefrom.

The press differs from all rotary printingpresses for printing on paper or similar material in that it is adapted to be fed from either side of the cylinder and to discharge from either side. It also differs in that the press, with the types all set and ready for use, has a surrounding projecting flange for holding the material in place, whereas in other printing-presses such flange has only been used for holding the type-form in place, and disappears as a projecting flange when the types are in position for work, the types in such case always projecting above the flange, whereas in this press the flange always projects above the types.

I am not aware that a flange has ever before been used around the platen in printingpresses that have types attached to the cylinder. The construction here shown is therefore specially adapted to the use intendednamely, the imprinting of tobacco-plugsand is useless and inoperative for printing newspapers, books, or other similar work, while the presses adapted for the last-mentioned classes of work are inoperative and useless for my purpose.

My press is operated by running the platen or bed out at either. side of the cylinder, placing the plugs in position in the bed, and turning the crank so as to cause the platen with its charge of material to pass under the cylinder. The platen or bed may then be discharged and recharged and the new chargeimpressed by pressing the platen back under the cylinder in the opposite direction.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a machine adapted to the marking and printing of plug-tobacco, the combination of a frame, A, guide-track D, and cylinder 0, arranged midway between the ends of the track, with a flanged platen, E, geared at both sides to the cylinder, whereby the material to be imprinted can be fed in or delivered from either side of the cylinder, constructed and arranged substantially as described.

2. In a machine adapted to the marking and printing of plug-tobacco, the combination of a frame, A, guide-track D, and cylinder 0 with a platen geared at both sides to the cylinder O, as shown, and provided with arectangular surrounding flange, e 0, and with a typesurface arranged either in the bed or platen below the line of the flange or on the cylinder at a distance from the bed suificient to admit plugs of tobacco to pass under the cylinder between it and the bottom of the bed, constructed and arranged substantially as described.

SAMUEL W. VENABLE. Witnesses:

WM. D. SPRATLEY, J. L. LATTIS. 

